Supernatural Taskforce Academy: Mission One, Scorpion Blood

by J. L. Weil

  “Arg!” I roared, kicking up from the floor, and threw my staff to the floor, frustrated. Furious at myself for failing so miserably in this task. My hand wiped the blood from my split lip, panting, pacing the back of the room like an enraged, caged panther.

  Mike just observed me, not a single word spoken, but I didn’t even dare to look at Renna.

  I was ashamed.

  Maybe I wasn’t her equal after all, no matter what I told myself. Maybe she was right to hate me, to want me gone. I didn’t belong here. Maybe... I didn’t deserve her.

  Stop!

  The roar reverberated in my mind.

  You are Scorpion. Fearless. Courageous. Confident. A leader. The one who never hesitates to take charge. The one who never backs down from a challenge. The voice echoed in my mind… and it was right.

  I wasn’t this guy, unsure of himself.

  No. That wasn’t me.

  I was the one others looked up to in tough situations, and never accepted no for an answer. A man who had risked his life in the blink of an eye to protect those around him. To do what was right. I was everything my father and grandfather raised me to be.

  The perfect son. The perfect soldier. An “Ethan James” worthy of the name, regardless of how much I hated the crushing pressure it put on me.

  I was worthy of their legacy…

  The acknowledgment shook me to my core, bringing me back to life, and in that moment, I realized that I’d been holding myself back. No matter how ready I told myself I was for this, I let doubts about my mortality among supernaturals control me.

  Taking a deep breath, the condemning voices in the back of my head disappeared. The ones I’d heard my whole life, telling me nothing I did was enough. I let them go, and reached for the staff once more.

  My fingers curled around it, wishing it were Japanese short sticks instead. Those I knew how to wield. With those I could more than fight. The next second, the staff snapped in two as I brought it down against my thigh with all my strength, breaking it without even asking for permission.

  Freedom and power rushed through my body as I twirled the staffs in my fingers, the familiar weight giving me security, and centering me once again. I took on a fighting stance, holding them both in a reverse grip in front of me. “Now, I’m ready.” A smirk tilted my lips, and I blew a kiss at Renna.

  The flame in her eyes flared with the challenge.

  When my eyes connected with Mike’s, he grinned, pleased I had taken control. “Again!” he ordered, but I didn't even wait for Renna to breathe.

  The fire inside me awoke, and I lunged forward, swinging the two sticks at once as I rushed her, and she didn’t get a chance to block. My right one connected with her thigh while the left one struck her shoulder, but that didn’t deter her. She attempted to attack me, yet, my staffs came down on her arm and waist, she turned, blocking my next blow, as the other slipped through to her hip.

  Now, Renna was on the defensive.

  We circled each other and she came at me, but I turned, slipping past her attack and ending behind her, slamming both sticks onto her back. She stumbled forward from the hit and hissed—promising retribution.

  She was going to kill me in my sleep tonight, I was sure of it.

  “Don’t stop! Faster!” Mike roared like an adrenaline maniac.

  We engaged once more while the professor shouted, but Renna was unable to regain control of the sparring. She was in my hands now. Raw energy and exhilaration coursed through my veins as I moved faster and faster. Our staffs crashed together, yet the vampiress was only able to stop my strikes, moving back as I forced her toward the wall with my every move.

  She lifted her arms to strike my neck, but I lunged left and whirled around, my sticks connected with her wrists instead, forcing her to drop her Bo staff. Without giving her a chance to recover, I crisscrossed the short staffs over her chest, and pinned her against the padded wall, pressing my body to hers to keep her from getting free.

  The professor woohooed in the background, excited with the fight. “Yes!” he roared. “I knew you could do it, Scorpion! You have warrior fire in you, boy.”

  Renna’s eyes widened, urgent hands gripping the two sticks and trying to push them off her, but my body was locked in place against hers. She blinked, stunned, as though it was impossible that I, a mere human, had bested her—of course, she wasn’t using her enhanced speed, but I’d take what I could.

  Ragged breaths escaped both our lips, chests rising and falling in sharp pants, while our mouths stood only an inch apart. Sweat made her skin glisten, piercing blue eyes capturing me like the first time I saw her, and we just looked at each other, a million desperate words screaming to be heard.

  “I want you,” I rasped, pressing my body closer against hers.

  “And why the hell should I care?” she snapped, but the bite was missing from her voice, instead, she tried hard to catch her breath. “We don’t always get what we want.”

  I didn’t answer.

  Tension became heavy between us as I leaned into her, and her head tilted to look up at me. Our breaths mixed while I took in all the complex beauty that was her. The need I felt for Renna reflected in her gaze as she observed me, and for a moment, I felt like our sparring had enticed her, forced her to see me in a different light, perhaps even discover another side of me.

  “You don’t understand. I. Want. You,” I stressed, panting. “If you knew anything about me, you’d understand how powerful those words are. What it truly means for me to say them, because all I’ve ever done is please everyone else. I let my family rule my life, tell me what to do, when, and how to do it. They dictate what I need, what I desire, but when I look into your eyes everything else disappears, until I’m sucked into this black hole where only you exist.

  “You captivate me until I can’t think, I can’t sleep, and I don’t even care, Renna, because I want you.”

  Nuzzling her neck, I took a deep breath, letting her scent drive away whatever sanity I had left, because at this point, there was no doubt. I was maddeningly into her.

  “Coming here was my destiny, Renna, because this is the only place where I could find you.” My lips brushed her earlobe as I spoke, and I felt her shudder for me.

  Our breathing spiked instead of calming, chests pressed together, and I enjoyed the feel of her soft body against the hard planes of mine. Lifting my head, I looked into her eyes, they seemed hungry to hear the words I needed to say.

  Mike yelled in the distance for us to separate, but I ignored him. Nothing existed in that moment but her.

  “Let’s forget the past,” I whispered, begging her to feel me and only me, while my heart slammed against my ribs. “You are not alone anymore, Renna. It’s you and me now, and I’m not leaving your side. Even if I never return to earth, to my family. Even if I don't survive this impossible fight. I want you. I want to be with you. And that is worth breaking every rule. That is worth losing everything. You, Renna Blackwood, are worth everything.”

  Emotion entered her eyes with my words, but I meant it. Fuck it all to hell, I needed her to be mine.

  When her gaze fell to my lips, screaming, begging me to kiss her, I smirked. “I told you. I’m not going to ki—”

  Her mouth crashed against mine, claiming me as hers, and the whole world became alive in that moment. I kissed her back, more than happy to oblige with anything she asked of me. She could brand me for all I cared—I bet her initials would look cute on my buttcheek.

  My short staffs flew to the ground and my hands gripped her waist instead, bringing her body flushed against mine.

  The muffled sound echoed along with the professor’s shouts. “It told you both to stop! No making out in the training room! Hey, are you listening?” Mike huffed as Renna’s arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me to her. “Oh, never mind. They don’t pay me enough for this shit.” The door slammed closed in the distance, announcing his retreat.

  My urgent hands roamed her back, enjoying the curv
e of her spine as it fell to her ass, and I squeezed it just as her fingers slipped through my hair, tugging it. I groaned in response, loving her touch. A small whimper escaped her when I took over the kiss. Tilting my head, I deepened the contact, and the taste of her burst on my tongue with every brush.

  I felt the exact moment she gave in to me. Whatever fight she had been clinging to left her, and she melted against me, surrendering to what we felt for the other. To the connection we shared, and the want coursing through us like a raging tempest.

  “Wait,” she breathed, and I forced myself to open my eyes.

  “Please don’t stop me now,” I begged, seeking her lips again. I was drunk on her. I wanted her with a desperation that caused my body to ache.

  Grinning, she took my arm and pulled, the next second, everything around us blurred. Moving faster than I thought possible, she dragged me along—my feet not even touching the floor—until a door closed somewhere near. I swayed on my feet when she stopped, forcibly blinking to focus on my surroundings.

  My room. We were in my room.

  God, I loved this woman’s thinking.

  I claimed her lips, hands gripping her waist and pulling her up against me. Renna’s arms returned to my neck, legs wrapping around me while I pressed her against the wall with my body, accidentally turning on the lights. She sucked my bottom lip, the spot where she’d hit me. It was no longer bleeding, but I knew what she wanted, and right then, engulfed in her enticing haze I wanted it too.

  “Taste me...” I whispered against her lips. She didn’t answer, but I didn’t need her to, a hungry need entered her eyes.

  Panting as we looked at each other, I let my thumb drag over her plump upper lip, and to my surprise, her fangs descended in response. The light above reflected on her iron fangs, making them almost glow, and I found myself hypnotized.

  “Beautiful,” I rasped, enticed by her, and pressed my thumb against the sharp tip, piercing my skin.

  A few drops of blood instantly spread over her tongue, and her eyes fell closed, a ragged breath escaping her as she savored me. She licked my thumb, sucking it gently, and then pulled me down to her. Renna’s fangs smoothly pierced my neck, sinking deep into my vein, and sending a rush of pure desire through me. My eyes fell closed, giving into her.

  The feeding didn’t hurt like I ignorantly expected, there was nothing violent about the act. Instead, it was provocative, and intimate in a way I never imagined. It excited me, enticing every reaction my body had for her. I held her closer to me, enjoying the way her lips moved while she sucked my neck. It was sultry and enthralling, causing the blood to rush out of me, eager to meet her tongue.

  As Renna drank from me, a ragged moan escaped me, and I fully hardened for her. But before I was ready for the experience to be over, her lips left my skin, showing the fierce restraint she possessed. I however, still wanted more.

  Smiling at the evident Renna-infused-haze she had left me in, my gorgeous vampiress claimed my lips again.

  This time, the kiss became deep and sensual, much slower than before, but filled to the brim with the longing we both felt for each other. As our mouths danced together, my hands lifted the edge of her shirt, sliding under it and feeling the way she squirmed at the brush of my fingertips along her ribs. My palms curved over her round and perfect breasts, and I massaged them, a wave of desire shooting down my spine and straight into my groin.

  “Fuck,” I groaned, letting go of her, and leaving her against the wall. She was surely going to kill me. “Renna, if we don’t stop now…”

  “Who told you I wanted to stop?” she breathed, pulling me back to her.

  Renna’s hands urgently ripped my shirt off, and I lifted my arms letting her undress me, all the while our mouths struggled not to part for a second, as pure fire burned in my core. Damn, she was dangerous. Her hands moved to my pants and when they dropped, I tugged the tight top off her, letting her bra join the rest of our outfits on the floor.

  “Breathtaking,” I whispered, enjoying the sight of her naked body before me.

  Once our bodies pressed together, and her nipples brushed my chest, I swore I was in heaven. Lifting her again, I flipped her onto her back on the large desk, pulling her hips to meet mine. The tip of my tongue traced her jaw and neck as I tasted her skin, drawing a path to her chest, until my mouth closed over her gorgeous nipple, hands holding her to me.

  Renna’s back arched, and she cradled my head to her chest, as though afraid I would leave her, but I wasn't going anywhere. Her breasts were the definition of perfection, and I never wanted to let them go.

  Pulling me up, she kissed my lips again, while her hungry hands roamed my chest and back, squeezing my muscles eagerly, but seeming to enjoy my abs a bit more. My muscles trembled when her touch traced every square. I tried to catch my breath, the feel of her naked body against mine was more than enough to break me.

  “Open your eyes,” I whispered, and was rewarded by her striking sapphire gaze, engulfed by desire.

  “Scorpion,” she breathed, and the sound of my name on her lips did sweet things to me.

  Holding her gaze, my hands gripped her back and waist, flushing our bodies together until not an ounce of air existed between us, and I slid inside her. The breath left me at the mind-blowing feel of her, and combined with her needy moans, it made the world tilt under me.

  And I made Renna mine.

  She clung to me, my hips rocking into her in a delicious rhythm, and I gripped the desk, kissing her breathless. Trembling from everything I made her feel, her form curled into me, thighs locking me in place. Renna had no choice but to let go, becoming undone for me, but I was just getting started.

  Our breaths became one, our bodies became one, and so did we. Human and Vampire together.

  She was mine now, and I was hers, there was no going back.

  15

  RENNA

  What. The. Hell. Had I just done?

  Every nerve ending in my body was still humming and reeling from the electric aftereffects of sleeping with Scorpion. I must have temporary lost my mind. What other explanation was there? I wasn’t even sure I believed what had happened between us. One minute we were fighting, and the next we were kissing each other brainless. He could be frustrating at the best of times, and yet, I’d never wanted anything in my life more than I had wanted him in that moment.

  Heat of the moment, that’s what it was… But no matter how much I rationalized or excused my behavior, it was a lie.

  The truth was I felt something for him, something fierce, protective, and reckless.

  I was never good with the after-sex stuff or dealing with heavy emotions. Not that I had a ton of experience. So, it was no surprise I fumbled a lame excuse about having class and bolted from his room, not giving him a chance to sweet talk me into cuddling, no matter how much I wanted to do just that. Which was precisely why I left.

  Yes, I was running.

  Yes, at some point I was going to have to deal with what happened, just not right now.

  I needed to mull on it, get over the shock, over the glow that appeared to make my entire body glisten. Besides, I could totally be overreacting. It could be he needed the release as much as I did and it was just that, nothing complicated or tangled.

  Yeah, right.

  Who was I fooling?

  The taste of his blood still coated my tongue, sweet as candy. I touched my lips as I darted to my room. It had been months since I drank from the source, and never had I done so while engaged in other activities. The extra level of heightened emotions the action provided, only added to the addictiveness of Scorpion’s blood. It was a call I could feel even now as I strolled down the hall, begging me to go back to him.

  The potency of it frightened me.

  My hair was a mess, my skin smelled of him, and my clothes were in tatters. I needed a shower, or every supernatural within a mile of me would know precisely what the human and I had been up to this morning.

  Oh, Gods! Mik
e! Color bloomed in my cheeks at the thought of my weapons professor seeing me make out with Scorpion. A groan left my lips. How could I ever face him again?

  After a quick shower and change of clothes, I headed to class. I hadn’t been lying when I told Scorpion I had a class, but in light of everything that was happening in my life, it seemed trivial. I slid into my History of Supernaturals class, sitting next to Melody.

  She leaned toward me. “Where were you after your private weapons training? I came looking for you, but you weren’t there. Did you skip?”

  I felt my cheeks grow hot again, and kept my gaze stuck onto the whiteboard. “Uh, sort of.”

  Melody crossed her legs, kicking back in her chair. Her lips were twisted to one side like she had a secret. “Once again, you’re the hot topic on campus.”

  Dread pitted in my stomach. Did the whole school already know I slept with Scorpion? I angled my head to side, glancing at her as I swore under my breath.

  Today Melody had gone with magenta hair and the color emphasized the hue of her blue eyes. “Everyone is talking about her,” she whispered.

  Blinking, I shook my head. Not me. Not Scorpion. Relief barreled into me, my shoulders slackening. “Who are we talking about exactly?”

  Melody rolled her eyes. “The new girl, duh.”

  Right. My fingers clutched the side of the table. “People here need to stop gossiping and take this school seriously. Shit is about to get real and everyone needs to be ready.”

  She flinched at my brittle tone. “You still think the council is lying to us?”

  The Aereum might want us to keep everything hushed-hushed, but I wouldn’t allow my friends to stay in the dark. This was too important. They deserved to be prepared if the gate to the underworld swung wide open. “I don’t know about lying, but they aren’t telling us everything.”

  Professor Roman cleared her throat, calling attention to the front of the class, and as my eyes settled on her my whole body froze.

  “We have a new recruit,” she announced. “You might have seen him around campus the past few days, but he’ll finally be joining our classes, so it’s time to formally introduce him.” She smiled at Scorpion, who stood beside her. He wore the academy uniform, well, half of it—a blue t-shirt with the STA emblem on the front, a pair of faded jeans, his worn-out boots and a hoodie. “His name is Ethan, and yes, he is human.”